Very well written piece! I was familiar with the origins of the 'alpha male' term, but you still added some always welcome perspective.
To me the 'manosphere' (what a terrible word by the way) is yet another manifestation of the many little 'cults' that exist online where people can find confirmation for whatever they like. Each of these 'cults' can be educational in moderation (I consume content on anything from gardening to guns), but when you get stuck in one for too long it just starts eroding away your sanity — and it's hard enough to stay sane in this world as it is.
Very true, the manosphere is merely one of many echo chambers online. I think people stumble upon something that gets them engagement and they dig in to repeat the same stuff over and over. In itself, that's alright, it's the way online content algorithms work. What worries me most about that is that people tend to engage more with negative/dramatic content, which leads to a self-reinforcing us-versus-them loop - we already have enough of those...
Exactly! And that’s why I deliberately didn’t use the term ‘echo chamber’ (although perfectly valid), because it implies that the only thing taking place is that something is being reflected back at you. But I think — as you also suggest — that the real problem here is how people are drawn to provocative ideas merely due to their provocative nature — and then subsequently the echo of that idea intensifies.
Nothing wrong with provocative ideas (even the idea of the ‘alpha’ male has its uses) but the more provocative the idea, the more important it becomes to examine it from multiple perspectives.
It’s one of the major reasons I enjoy being on Substack, that so many people seem to be aware of the importance of this.
Excellent read! I was starting to fall for the alpha male idea (while I'm being called an alpha woman by others -- hence, there's something wrong with me). But I love how you dig into the nuances and the... you know, research. Great one!
It's all too human to (want to) label others (and, if we're being honest, ourselves), but humans are always more than one thing. There's that pesky nuance again :). In many cases, the label says more about the labelers than the labeled. The people who call you 'alpha woman' probably don't know how to frame strong, independent women without that label. (On the flipside, hearing that often enough can, I imagine, be stressful, as if you *have to be* tough all the time. Everyone needs/has vulnerable moments.)
Ha, that was a bit of a ramble. Thanks for reading.
The Manosphere, just like the entire outer right now, are grifters and scammers trying to make money out of the stupidest people.
Very well written piece! I was familiar with the origins of the 'alpha male' term, but you still added some always welcome perspective.
To me the 'manosphere' (what a terrible word by the way) is yet another manifestation of the many little 'cults' that exist online where people can find confirmation for whatever they like. Each of these 'cults' can be educational in moderation (I consume content on anything from gardening to guns), but when you get stuck in one for too long it just starts eroding away your sanity — and it's hard enough to stay sane in this world as it is.
Thanks, Mads!
Very true, the manosphere is merely one of many echo chambers online. I think people stumble upon something that gets them engagement and they dig in to repeat the same stuff over and over. In itself, that's alright, it's the way online content algorithms work. What worries me most about that is that people tend to engage more with negative/dramatic content, which leads to a self-reinforcing us-versus-them loop - we already have enough of those...
Exactly! And that’s why I deliberately didn’t use the term ‘echo chamber’ (although perfectly valid), because it implies that the only thing taking place is that something is being reflected back at you. But I think — as you also suggest — that the real problem here is how people are drawn to provocative ideas merely due to their provocative nature — and then subsequently the echo of that idea intensifies.
Nothing wrong with provocative ideas (even the idea of the ‘alpha’ male has its uses) but the more provocative the idea, the more important it becomes to examine it from multiple perspectives.
It’s one of the major reasons I enjoy being on Substack, that so many people seem to be aware of the importance of this.
Excellent read! I was starting to fall for the alpha male idea (while I'm being called an alpha woman by others -- hence, there's something wrong with me). But I love how you dig into the nuances and the... you know, research. Great one!
Thanks, Monica.
It's all too human to (want to) label others (and, if we're being honest, ourselves), but humans are always more than one thing. There's that pesky nuance again :). In many cases, the label says more about the labelers than the labeled. The people who call you 'alpha woman' probably don't know how to frame strong, independent women without that label. (On the flipside, hearing that often enough can, I imagine, be stressful, as if you *have to be* tough all the time. Everyone needs/has vulnerable moments.)
Ha, that was a bit of a ramble. Thanks for reading.
This was a really great read!
Thanks, Erika!